This rescue of ours brings us immense sadness as we mourn the death of our Dear “Titus” and also remember his late wife “SPARROW” and their 2 puppy children who grew up but disappeared one day.

Titus was a healthy male dog who, few years back, lived with his entire doggie family in a posh residential complex.  Titus, his wife Sparrow and their two kids.  In 2009, this complex was an upcoming venture and 2010 it reached completion.   As always seen, street animals are several times target of Man-Animal conflicts

Dogs, whose residence was this empty patch of land, suddenly became targets of cruelty and some lost their lives as victims of accidents when humans started occupying the area and construction activity intensified.

We got all the 30 odd dogs around this area neutered and spayed. Our gratitude, and, heartfelt thank you, to, “In Defense of Animals” and the “Bombay SPCA”  for the sterilizations. Titus, Sparrow and their two children were neutered.  I used to visit this complex regularly every Sunday morning to check all the dogs and ensure they are in good shape, it would be a heavenly site to notice both of Titus’s children jumping and playing on his belly as if he were a soft mattress. Sparrow would sit beside all of them and keep a vigil like a good mother and occasionally nudge Titus.

Time went by, the children grew and went their own way and often Titus and Sparrow would sit and live together.  Dogs are known to be very loyal companions even to their own kind, whom they choose as their life partner.   Titus and Sparrow – 2 soul mates would always be together and move together. It was a breathtaking site to see the bond between 2 dogs. Titus and Sparrow.  Sparrow had just one eye – she had lost her eye in an accident earlier.

Some uncompassionate people from this complex suddenly did not want to see the dogs within the complex and kept them out of the premises. Titus, Sparrow, did not ever learn to rest on the road and were always within the complex.  Within a month of being forced to live out of the complex, Sparrow would always sleep in the heap of sand and rest there. 

One day she was sleeping and a truck bringing construction material reversed on her and Sparrow lost her life on the spot.  I was personally present to pick her body with a severely damaged face when we were informed several hours later.   We took her for cremation at the Parel Animal hospital. This was in the year 2011.

On 18th January 2013 – Titus was sleeping within the complex, when he was very severely hit by a speeding car.  As he yelped in pain, our fears were getting confirmed that the damage was severe. Titus was just unable to move and cried.  We had received a rescue call,  picked him up in sometime and took him for a complete check up at the nearest veterinary doctor to assess the extent of damage.

Sadly our fears were confirmed – Titus had a broken spine, it had snapped into two.  This was revealed through an x-ray.  At the doctor’s itself, Titus condition worsened and he started passing blood from his urine, and breathing heavily.  Within, sometime, Titus was no more with us.

Although it was a heart wrenching moment to lose him, somewhere in my Heart I felt Sparrow was waiting for him and both would be now happy and without pain in Heaven.

May God bless them for Touching Our Lives and I feel contented they made me a part of their Journey through their youth and even when they crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

This is a Tribute to the entire family   Sparrow, Titus, Lina and Anaya.  We do not know where Lina and Anaya their 2 children are, but we pray for them and May them All Be United in Heaven

- By Priya Shindurnikar